Mason Pearson Brush Review | Buying Guide For Your Hair Type [2020]

A Mason Pearson brush: the best investment you’ll ever make? Or is it crazy to even think of buying one?

If you are anything like me, your gut reaction to a 100+ dollar brush is ‘WTF?!’ That’s why I spent over 20 hours researching this one brush company. I needed to find out how a company charging so much for their brushes could still be in business over 100 years later.

As I explain below, these Mason Pearson brushes are pretty special, but there are a few snags. For example, which one should you buy for your hair type?

That’s why I outline a full buying guide that explains which one will suit your hair type and lifestyle. I also evaluate the pros and cons and customer reviews, plus I explain why hairdresser Brad Mondo raves about his Mason Pearson brush.

What Is Special About The Mason Pearson Hairbrush?

One of the most special elements of this brand is its unique history. Mason Pearson was an engineer and entrepreneur during the industiral revolution and his brand lives on over 100 years later.

In 1885, he launched his brush boaring machine. He invented the rubber cushioned hairbrush later in that year, and the design has not changed much since! His wife and children continued his business after he sadly died soon after the cushioned hair brush invention.

Today, Mason Pearson are best known for their boar bristle brushes. These brushes are made with natural bristles from boar animals, and these particular bristles are known to add a lot of shine and distribute oils throughout the hair very nicely in ways a “normal” hairbrush will not!

Mason Pearson get all of their boar bristle from China and India. They source from two areas:

Naturally shed bristles from wild boars roaming around in forests

As a by-product from domesticated pigs

Are Mason Pearson Brushes Vegan?

The boar bristle Mason Pearson brushes and boar mixed with nylon brushes are made with real boar bristles. All of the collection and manufacturing processes are in complete compliance with EU regulations and Mason Pearson guarantees that no animals are harmed in the collection of the bristles.

What Are The Brushes Made From?

All of Mason Pearson’s bristles are either natural boar bristle or nylon, or a combination of the two. The rubber cushion is made from dry natural rubber and the handles are either plastic (cellulose acetate, acrylic plastic) or light wood (London plane wood or beech wood). Hot foil is used to stamp their logo on the handle.

Do Mason Pearson Hair Brushes Really Work?

Hairdresser Endorsed | Brad Mondo

Hairdresser, (and Youtuber with 4.5 million subscribers), Brad Mando claims his Mason Pearson brush is the most expensive hairbrush he owns, but recommends it to his followers anyway – it’s worth the investment because it will last you a lifetime in his view.

“If you want to invest in great hair, it’s a great brush to have” – Brad Mondo, Professional Hairdresser

As he explains, he uses the Mason Pearson mix of nylon and boar bristles brush and recommends it for everyday use. He personally does not use it for heat styling (as advised) because he’s worried about damaging the brush.

It’s ideal on hair that has already been styled or for use in the morning when you wake up. Brad likes that the synthetic bristles add a lot of shine and the boar bristles are so effective at distributing oils throughout your hair strands.

You should brush from the root downwards for that reason. This brush can really help a lot if you deal with an oily scalp. Plus, Brad also likes that it helps with scalp circulation and it stimulates the scalp for new hair growth.

Does It Make Your Hair Static?

Some customers complain that their brush makes their hair static. Because your brand new Mason Pearson brush bristles are dry and have not absorbed oils from your hair yet, your hair may become a little static after the first few uses.

Try not to wash your hair every day when you just start using the brush, because that will strip away the natural oils that this brush needs to absorb to work most effectively. Sometimes harsh weather and air conditioning can make your hair static too.

Again, this features 6 rings of boar bristles however it’s specially designed for those with very fine or thinning hair. The size is handy – 8.5 inches in length, 2.5 in width, and 4.37 inches at the head.

If you struggle with thinning hair, consider trying coconut oil as a treatment.

#4. Pocket Bristle B4 | Pure Boar Bristles Only (No Nylon) For Fine Hair In A Very Small Pocket Size

Great for travel, this brush features 5 rings of nylon tufts (no boar bristles) in a very small size (6.75 inches x 2 inches wide, and 3.5″ at the head) for very thick and hard to manage hair types.

Mason Pearson also sell a nylon only (HANDY NYLON N3) brush in the handy size.

Can You Use A Mason Pearson Brush On Wet Hair? The Best One For Wet Hair

These brushes are an expensive investment and you want to do everything you can to keep it in good shape. A lot of hair professionals advise against using boar bristle brushes on wet hair.

Plus, the Mason Pearson brush cleaning guide warns that you should not submerge the brush in water, so avoid using the handle brushes in the shower or on soaking wet hair.

If you want to use a Mason Pearson brush on wet hair, the company designed Military brushes (a bit like tangle teasers) and the nylon only version of these will work great on wet hair. The nylon and boar bristle combo can also work well if you can’t get your hands on the nylon only version.

UNIVERSAL MILITARY NU2M | Try On Wet Hair

How Can You Tell If A Mason Pearson Hair Brush Is Real?

Mason Pearson brushes are difficult to find online. The brand intends to sell from their own website some time in the future, but for now, your best bet is to buy online from trusted websites.

It’s very important that you check out the seller of the brush to ensure you are not being sold a fake!

Sometimes multiple sellers can offer the same product on the same website and on the same selling page, so you need to be extra careful to buy from the correct one. Only buy from sellers where the feedback is overwhelmingly positive.

The Mason Pearson hair brush company website suggests that you send all of the relevant information (contact details, proof of purchase, images of the brush and the packaging) to their email if you have any concerns that you have bought a fake.

Mason Pearson Reviews

The most common phrase you will read in Mason Pearson reviews: totally worth every penny.

Customers highly praise the design and bristle quality of this brush compared to your regular 20 dollar brush. These brushes have longer, stiffer bristles that are really well spaced and this helps massage the scalp so well without itching or irritating.

Multiple reviewers noticed their hair really looks healthy, softer, and shinier since using this brush. It gets the debris from your hair off and onto the brush so well and one reviewer claimed the Sephora dupe isn’t half as effective at this.

Another customer recommends that you don’t overdo your brushing and keep it to 10 – 15 strokes.

This brush really disperses the oils in your hair so well. You almost feel like you are cleansing your hair according to some customers!

Although it’s not recommended to use these brushes with heat, some find it’s fine to do so – as long as they use quick strokes and don’t apply heat directly on the brush.

Tip: Don’t forget that hair dryers apply heat to your hair too, and can damage your hair in the same way as styling tools that directly touch your hair.

Obviously the biggest drawback of these Mason Pearson brushes is the price. If you are willing to invest money in a brush that should last you a lifetime, it’s definitely worth it. If you tend to always lose your expensive purchases, then give it a miss.

A couple of customers say it’s annoying that you have to clean it because it’s such an expensive brush. You do have to look after it.

Other customers regret their bristle and size choice. That’s why we recommend following the guide above so you make sure you buy the right bristle for your hair type and brush size for your preference and hair length!

How Do You Maintain Mason Pearson Brushes?

These brushes should last and lifetime considering the price you pay. the good news is they will – if you take good care of them!

How To Clean These Hairbrushes

Insert a comb horizontally on one side of the brush. Lift off any dirt and hair and repeat this process from the other side and the ends if necessary.

Take the cleaner brush that comes in your brush kit and line up its tufts with the spaces in the rubber of your hair brush to clean the rubber and scrub away the dirt.

Add mild soap to a bowl of warm water. Dip the tufts of the cleaner brush in the water.

Repeat the previous step with the now damp cleaner brush. Do not get too much water on the hairbrush.

Shake out the excess water from your hairbrush when it is clean and leave your brush to dry.

Warranty & Repairs Service

Mason Pearson offers a 12 month warranty on brushes bought from authorized sellers. They also offer a repairs service (you must send them images first so they can evaluate if your brush can be fixed or not).

About author

Laura is a recent MSc. Economics graduate, but her true passion has always been makeup! She loves reading up on all the latest makeup research, and never buys new beauty products without analyzing 100s of reviews first!